Posted on 09/15/2012 1:34:42 AM PDT by marktwain
Edited on 09/15/2012 6:23:03 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Any recommendations of a rifle and pistol that shoot either .22 and .22LR? I like the idea of cheap ammo and like the idea of a gun being able to use both types of ammo considering .22 ammo is dirt cheap.
However SSS is not the quietest. The most quiet round is CCI Garden Shot or something, I got a big box of those once. They have very little powder charge, and they are not good for more than 15-20 yards at best. But they are extremely quiet. They are slow, and they exhibit considerable bullet drop, and they are not accurate at all. Perhaps they are OK for rabbits that are frolicking right in front of you, or a raccoon. Note that their energy is barely enough to kill the animal, so one must be ready for a follow-up shot.
The standard velocity .22LR is OK in terms of accuracy, assuming a sub-MOA barrel. I take ground squirrels around the house using .22LR. A well placed shot (in the neck) is quite easy at 30 yards, and the varmint goes down instantly. However hunting with .22LR on longer distances may not be a good idea, from the point of view of the hunter and from the point of view of the game.
Other people already mentioned that a .22LR practically does not expand. It would take too much energy to flatten a lead ball, and there is no such energy in the round. I have a steel backstop here, and if I shoot a .22LR at it then the bullet flattens. But very few varmints are made of steel. The rest is just loose meat. The bullet punches them through and keeps flying (into the ground.) The varmint gets very unhappy. Only ideally placed shots result in instant death. Other shots lead to the varmint escaping, crawling into a nearest burrow and then suffering for days - and you cannot do anything about that, short of calling for a backhoe. Hard to do that on someone else's ranch.
When I hunt varmints (in central and northern CA) I use only two rounds: .17HMR and .223 (V-Max or VG, but generally anything does the job.) Most of the shots are .17HMR. The bullets are light, but they fly at such a high speed that the varmint explodes on impact. The bullet mushrooms, and the game dies from hydrostatic shock regardless of the point of impact (aside from extremities.) The squirrel, when hit, is launched up in the air by the internal shockwave. The effect of a .223 against a small ground squirrel is even more pronounced. A .22LR, if I have it with me in the field, is usually in a handgun, and I may use it for shooting a wounded varmint - but in last years I haven't had any survivors of .17HMR. The game expires before I can walk up to them. This is exactly how it is supposed to be. Shooting a squirrel from 100 yards with a hole-puncher will be a senseless torture of an animal.
On the other hand, if you are thinking about hunting small game for food after SHTF, a .17HMR may be not the best tool. The bullet (often HP or V-Max) is designed to expand and fragment on impact; I don't know if the meat would be edible after such a hit. A .22LR will stay in one piece.
It would be unwise to ignore .22LR. These rounds are small, cheap, and adequate for many jobs. As you mentioned earlier, a few .22LR bullets are equal to one 9mm. I like to keep a few boxes on hand. But they are not ideal for any specific job outside of target shooting. If you can afford .17HMR today then use them in the field. Both you and the varmints will be much happier.
Hey, I’m an amateur with guns... since a full half century ago, my grandfather gave an eight year old boy his first bolt action Remington .22
As I have said, .22s are quite accurate (esp my Marlin 60), but if I want to dependably hunt anything bigger than a woodchuck, OR IF I AM DEFENDING FRIENDS AND FAMILY, a .22 doesn’t cut the mustard except as a last resort.
And anyone who is recommending a .22 for home defense, over and above many of the other available options, is flat out wrong.
Good suggestion, frog. I’ll look into a brick after I get rid of the Velocitor ammo.
Velocitor is 2-3 times more expensive than the Thunderbolt. But you should use whatever works most reliably for you.
I think the Velocitor would be great for hunting with a .22 long barreled revolver.
Shot a few miles of metal drywall sills into concrete slabs with a Hilti gun and .22 blanks rated at about 500 fps. One shot, one nail.
ph
LOL! I’m talking small game here.
I wish Ruger would make the .22LR SP101 with a 6 inch barrel.
YES! A .22LR IS a Zombie Stopper and the BEST SHTF weapon. Ammo is cheap. You can have a lifetime supply for use AND trade. And with all the HK-MP5 accessories plus silencer, collapsible stock, 100 round drum magazine, and LIGHT WEIGHT for both the arms and ammo, it IS the ULTIMATE TEOTWAWKI weapon of choice.
Nineshot or six?
Lookalike for the Arminius they used to teach the kids with in my first club, way back..
8 shot.
I never traced the Serno, but I think it was manufactured early-mid 60’s.
6 inch barrel. Some people claim to have seen them with a ten in barrel, but I kinda think those were custom...
Labelled
Iver Johnson Target
Mod 55
For an exhaustive amount of information on all things 22, do visit the boards/forums at: RimFireCentral.com and prepare to be educated.
For those whom REALLY shoot .22 rimfires, check out the ‘Paco Tool’ and get accurate to the rediculous degree.....as in 10 rounds, center to center, at 50 yards miced at .017”. At 100 yards I fall apart a little and seek to best my 10 round group at 1.006” c-c.
Thank you for your very informative post. Does RimfireCentral have a forum on long range .22 shooting at over 200 yards?
If it comnes to survival I’ll take the 22LR every time.
Put 10,000 rounds on your back and move with it!!
Research the FN Five-seveN.
The 5.7x28mm round is what you'd do to a .22lr if you wanted to make it a serious defense round.
My mistake-just checked the site and found no long range forum per se. Have read posts of people shooting to extreme distances, but no forum dedicated to such. I shoot the deuces out to 100 yards, so have only noticed the od postings as I read there. Sorry.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.